I think it shows the trend of violence that's occurring in our Christmas movies. The sad part is that "Violent Night" isn't really more violent than any of the other Christmas films that have become "classics."
I won’t watch most movies with murder, chaos, or violence, especially Christmas films the first time I watched home alone had a family holiday gathering, I was extremely uncomfortable. It is not at the top of my list for Christmas viewing. I do, however, have a fondness for revenge murder porn, like Dexter and Justified. I binge watched Dexter after the election. It allows me a sense of vindication to see the bad guys getting their just desserts.
That's interesting. I find that I really dislike Home Alone. My wife tends to enjoy revenge movies like Violent Night, but she is less interested in Dexter. There's something cathartic about bad guys getting chopped up. But I can't figure out why Home Alone bothers me so much.
You make some good points but I’m sensing a possible generational/cultural divide at work. I suspect that having grown up with the Warner Brothers cartoons in which Bugs, Daffy, Elmer, Wiley, Road Runner et al inflicted lethal harm on each other I for one saw Home Alone as a live action cartoon. My major complaint is that so much of the humor relies upon the two burglars being almost as dumb as the bricks that are hitting them. As a Marx Brothers fan I don’t like comedy that depends upon the key character’s stupidity. I do watch at least parts of Home Alone seasonally because part of the story is the personal growth of Caulkin’s character, while Die Hard lacks that it still has one of Alan Rickman’s most delicious characters (and the fact that they lied to him about how far he was really going to fall and when).
Die Hard is one of my favorite movies, because Bruce Willis, and I have always called it a "Christmas movie". (I love the John McClane ornament and want to make one someday, I saw the directions on the Instructables website.) 😂 I used to discuss movies all the time with my late stepfather, and he always hated the violent movies. He thought it was weird that in America we censor the crap out of movies for sexual things, "God forbid you show a tit" was his line every time on that subject. Anyway, my favorite Christmas movie is "Love Actually" and no one dies. 💖☺️
"But why are there criminals? Might society be to blame? Do they have to break the law just to survive? Are they trying to feed their children?" Mystery and crime writers have been exploring these conundrums for a long time. Donald Westlake even managed to turn it into comedy with his novels and stories about a very inept criminal named Dortmunder.
And while turning Santa into a criminal is new for movies, it has precedents in print. I recall reading a story by Harlan Ellison where he basically turned Santa into Nick Fury, and another where he turned the Three Wise Men into crotchety old Jewish guys.
But you're definitely right about the "American" film being obsessed with men killing other, worse men. For what, if not anything else, is the Western as a genre all about?
Walter! For a couple years now, our fave Xmas film, Riders of Justice, follows along the same thematic lines, except that it's Danish, with Mads Mikkelsen (!), it's only a tad more Xmasy than Die Hard, similarly humorous and violent, but actually shows some really touching humaneness around what it means to be a damaged human. It's a far, far, cry from White Xmas.
And PS. Frankly, I try to have a cynical, if not humorous view of Xmas films. They all bask in the commercial glow of wasteful, environmentally destructive, hypocritical consumerism, shallowness and egotistically competitive behavior. But the same folks who complain about the violence of these films pretend, in a bad acting sort of way, that they are offended by the violence, BUT have absolutely zero problem with viewing or participating in violent sports. Our culture is replete with violence hypocrisy.
Wow! I actually liked Violent Night, but you have given me some things to think about... Do you think movies like this and moral retribution come from the theology of Left Behind?
I think it comes from the flawed teachings of Christ to be honest. Any time we assign divine justification to ideology of human origin it ends in abomination.
I would never even bother to watch a film titled Violent Night.
I think it shows the trend of violence that's occurring in our Christmas movies. The sad part is that "Violent Night" isn't really more violent than any of the other Christmas films that have become "classics."
I won’t watch most movies with murder, chaos, or violence, especially Christmas films the first time I watched home alone had a family holiday gathering, I was extremely uncomfortable. It is not at the top of my list for Christmas viewing. I do, however, have a fondness for revenge murder porn, like Dexter and Justified. I binge watched Dexter after the election. It allows me a sense of vindication to see the bad guys getting their just desserts.
That's interesting. I find that I really dislike Home Alone. My wife tends to enjoy revenge movies like Violent Night, but she is less interested in Dexter. There's something cathartic about bad guys getting chopped up. But I can't figure out why Home Alone bothers me so much.
You make some good points but I’m sensing a possible generational/cultural divide at work. I suspect that having grown up with the Warner Brothers cartoons in which Bugs, Daffy, Elmer, Wiley, Road Runner et al inflicted lethal harm on each other I for one saw Home Alone as a live action cartoon. My major complaint is that so much of the humor relies upon the two burglars being almost as dumb as the bricks that are hitting them. As a Marx Brothers fan I don’t like comedy that depends upon the key character’s stupidity. I do watch at least parts of Home Alone seasonally because part of the story is the personal growth of Caulkin’s character, while Die Hard lacks that it still has one of Alan Rickman’s most delicious characters (and the fact that they lied to him about how far he was really going to fall and when).
I grew up on Warner brothers cartoons too. But by the time we get to Violent Night, it still feels a little creepy :)
Die Hard is one of my favorite movies, because Bruce Willis, and I have always called it a "Christmas movie". (I love the John McClane ornament and want to make one someday, I saw the directions on the Instructables website.) 😂 I used to discuss movies all the time with my late stepfather, and he always hated the violent movies. He thought it was weird that in America we censor the crap out of movies for sexual things, "God forbid you show a tit" was his line every time on that subject. Anyway, my favorite Christmas movie is "Love Actually" and no one dies. 💖☺️
"But why are there criminals? Might society be to blame? Do they have to break the law just to survive? Are they trying to feed their children?" Mystery and crime writers have been exploring these conundrums for a long time. Donald Westlake even managed to turn it into comedy with his novels and stories about a very inept criminal named Dortmunder.
And while turning Santa into a criminal is new for movies, it has precedents in print. I recall reading a story by Harlan Ellison where he basically turned Santa into Nick Fury, and another where he turned the Three Wise Men into crotchety old Jewish guys.
But you're definitely right about the "American" film being obsessed with men killing other, worse men. For what, if not anything else, is the Western as a genre all about?
Yeah, I wonder if there might be repercussions to that trend that we haven't fully appreciated.
Walter! For a couple years now, our fave Xmas film, Riders of Justice, follows along the same thematic lines, except that it's Danish, with Mads Mikkelsen (!), it's only a tad more Xmasy than Die Hard, similarly humorous and violent, but actually shows some really touching humaneness around what it means to be a damaged human. It's a far, far, cry from White Xmas.
And PS. Frankly, I try to have a cynical, if not humorous view of Xmas films. They all bask in the commercial glow of wasteful, environmentally destructive, hypocritical consumerism, shallowness and egotistically competitive behavior. But the same folks who complain about the violence of these films pretend, in a bad acting sort of way, that they are offended by the violence, BUT have absolutely zero problem with viewing or participating in violent sports. Our culture is replete with violence hypocrisy.
That's a good point!
That's interesting, I like Mads Mikkelsen. I'll have to look for that.
Wow! I actually liked Violent Night, but you have given me some things to think about... Do you think movies like this and moral retribution come from the theology of Left Behind?
I think it comes from the flawed teachings of Christ to be honest. Any time we assign divine justification to ideology of human origin it ends in abomination.